Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Bacteriology logoLink to Journal of Bacteriology
. 1972 Mar;109(3):1034–1046. doi: 10.1128/jb.109.3.1034-1046.1972

Altered Phospholipid Metabolism in a Sodium-Sensitive Mutant of Escherichia coli1

Joan E Lusk a,2, Eugene P Kennedy a
PMCID: PMC247324  PMID: 4551740

Abstract

A mutant of Escherichia coli has been isolated, the growth of which is inhibited by low concentrations (1 mm) of NaCl. High levels of magnesium, calcium, or strontium in the medium permit growth in the presence of sodium. The metal content of the inhibited mutant is normal, but the strain is unable to tolerate levels of sodium to which the wild type is indifferent. Immediately after the addition of sodium to cultures of the mutant, rates of synthesis of protein, ribonucleic acid, deoxyribonucleic acid, and total lipid are unchanged, but more cardiolipin and less phosphatidylethanolamine are produced. The direct enzymatic cause of this change, which affects membrane function, is not known. Studies of the metabolism of phosphatidylglycerol in vivo after pulse-labeling with [2-3H]glycerol reveal that a major pathway both in wild-type and mutant strains involves the cleavage of labeled glycerol from phosphatidylglycerol.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Barbu E., Polonovski J., Rampini C., Lux M. Modifications de la constitution en phospholipides des cellules d'E. coli cultivées en présence de phenyléthanol. C R Acad Sci Hebd Seances Acad Sci D. 1970 May 25;270(21):2596–2599. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Carter J. R., Fox C. F., Kennedy E. P. Interaction of sugars with the membrane protein component of the lactose transport system of Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1968 Jun;60(2):725–732. doi: 10.1073/pnas.60.2.725. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Carter J. R., Jr Cytidine triphosphate: phosphatidic acid cytidyltransferase in Escherichia coli. J Lipid Res. 1968 Nov;9(6):748–754. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cavard D., Rampini C., Barbu E., Polonovski J. Activité phospholipasique et autres modifications du métabolisme des phospholipides consécutives a l'action des colicines sur E. coli. Bull Soc Chim Biol (Paris) 1968 Dec;50(9):1455–1471. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chang Y. Y., Kennedy E. P. Biosynthesis of phosphatidyl glycerophosphate in Escherichia coli. J Lipid Res. 1967 Sep;8(5):447–455. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Chang Y. Y., Kennedy E. P. Pathways for the synthesis of glycerophosphatides in Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1967 Feb 10;242(3):516–519. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Chang Y. Y., Kennedy E. P. Phosphatidyl glycerophosphate phosphatase. J Lipid Res. 1967 Sep;8(5):456–462. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Cronan J. E., Jr Phospholipid alterations during growth of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1968 Jun;95(6):2054–2061. doi: 10.1128/jb.95.6.2054-2061.1968. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. DAWSON R. M. The measurement of 32P labelling of individual kephalins and lecithin in a small sample of tissue. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1954 Jul;14(3):374–379. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(54)90195-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. De Siervo A. J. Alterations in the phospholipid composition of Escherichia coli B during growth at different temperatures. J Bacteriol. 1969 Dec;100(3):1342–1349. doi: 10.1128/jb.100.3.1342-1349.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. De Siervo A. J., Salton M. R. Biosynthesis of cardiolipin in the membranes of Micrococcus lysodeikticus. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1971 Jul 13;239(2):280–292. doi: 10.1016/0005-2760(71)90174-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Fox C. F. A lipid requirement for induction of lactose transport in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1969 Jul;63(3):850–855. doi: 10.1073/pnas.63.3.850. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. GAREN A. Physiological effects of rII mutations in bacteriophage T4. Virology. 1961 Jun;14:151–163. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(61)90190-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gale E. F., Llewellin J. M. Effect of unsaturated fatty acids on aspartate transport in Staphylococcus aureus and on staphylococcal lipid monolayers. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1971 Mar 9;233(1):237–242. doi: 10.1016/0005-2736(71)90377-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Henning U., Dennert G., Rehn K., Deppe G. Effects of oleate starvation in a fatty acid auxotroph of Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol. 1969 May;98(2):784–796. doi: 10.1128/jb.98.2.784-796.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. KANFER J., KENNEDY E. P. METABOLISM AND FUNCTION OF BACTERIAL LIPIDS. I. METABOLISM OF PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN ESCHERICHIA COLI B. J Biol Chem. 1963 Sep;238:2919–2922. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. KANFER J., KENNEDY E. P. METABOLISM AND FUNCTION OF BACTERIAL LIPIDS. II. BIOSYNTHESIS OF PHOSPHOLIPIDS IN ESCHERICHIA COLI. J Biol Chem. 1964 Jun;239:1720–1726. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Kanemasa Y., Akamatsu Y., Nojima S. Composition and turnover of the phospholipids in Escherichia coli. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1967 Oct 2;144(2):382–390. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Katze J. R., Konigsberg W. Purification and properties of seryl transfer ribonucleic acid synthetase from Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1970 Mar 10;245(5):923–930. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Kito M., Pizer L. I. Phosphatidic acid synthesis in Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1969 Mar;97(3):1321–1327. doi: 10.1128/jb.97.3.1321-1327.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Klein K., Steinberg R., Fiethen B., Overath P. Fatty acid degradation in Escherichia coli. An inducible system for the uptake of fatty acids and further characterization of old mutants. Eur J Biochem. 1971 Apr;19(3):442–450. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1971.tb01334.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Lusk J. E., Kennedy E. P. Magneisum transport in Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1969 Mar 25;244(6):1653–1655. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Lusk J. E., Williams R. J., Kennedy E. P. Magnesium and the growth of Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1968 May 25;243(10):2618–2624. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. O'Brien R. W., Stern J. R. Requirement for sodium in the anaerobic growth of Aerobacter aerogenes on citrate. J Bacteriol. 1969 May;98(2):388–393. doi: 10.1128/jb.98.2.388-393.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Overath P., Pauli G., Schairer H. U. Fatty acid degradation in Escherichia coli. An inducible acyl-CoA synthetase, the mapping of old-mutations, and the isolation of regulatory mutants. Eur J Biochem. 1969 Feb;7(4):559–574. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Overath P., Schairer H. U., Stoffel W. Correlation of in vivo and in vitro phase transitions of membrane lipids in Escherichia coli. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1970 Oct;67(2):606–612. doi: 10.1073/pnas.67.2.606. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. PATTERSON M. S., GREENE R. C. MEASUREMENT OF LOW ENERGY BETA-EMITTERS IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION BY LIQUID SCINTILLATION COUNTING OF EMULSIONS. Anal Chem. 1965 Jun;37:854–857. doi: 10.1021/ac60226a017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Peterson R. H., Buller C. S. Phospholipid metabolism in T4 bacteriophage infected Escherichia coli K-12 (lambda). J Virol. 1969 May;3(5):463–468. doi: 10.1128/jvi.3.5.463-468.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Piperno J. R., Oxender D. L. Amino acid transport systems in Escherichia coli K-12. J Biol Chem. 1968 Nov 25;243(22):5914–5920. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Rampini C., Barbu E., Polonovski J. Métabolisme du diphosphatidyl-glycérol d'E. coli K 12 après l'arrêt, par incubation en milieu sans source d'énergie, du développement des bactéries. C R Acad Sci Hebd Seances Acad Sci D. 1970 Feb 9;270(6):882–885. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Ricard M., Hirota Y. Effet des sels sur le processus de division cellulaire d'E. coli. C R Acad Sci Hebd Seances Acad Sci D. 1969 Mar 3;268(9):1335–1338. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Schairer H. U., Overath P. Lipids containing trans-unsaturated fatty acids change the temperature characteristic of thiomethylgalactoside accumulation in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1969 Aug 28;44(1):209–214. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(69)90416-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Siccardi A. G., Shapiro B. M. On the process of cellular division in Escherichia coli. IV. Altered protein composition and turnover of the membranes of thermosensitive mutants defective in chromosomal replication. J Mol Biol. 1971 Mar 28;56(3):475–490. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(71)90395-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Silbert D. F. Arrangement of fatty acyl groups in phosphatidylethanolamine from a fatty acid auxotroph of Escherichia coli. Biochemistry. 1970 Sep 1;9(18):3631–3640. doi: 10.1021/bi00820a021. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Silbert D. F., Vagelos P. R. Fatty acid mutant of E. coli lacking a beta-hydroxydecanoyl thioester dehydrase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1967 Oct;58(4):1579–1586. doi: 10.1073/pnas.58.4.1579. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Silver S., Kralovic M. L. Manganese accumulation by Escherichia coli: evidence for a specific transport system. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 1969 Mar 10;34(5):640–645. doi: 10.1016/0006-291x(69)90786-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Simmler M. C., Barbu M. E. Modification de la constitution en phospholipides des cellules d'E. coli pendant leur transformation en sphéroplastes. Ann Inst Pasteur (Paris) 1970 Sep;119(3):289–301. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Stanacev N. Z., Chang Y. Y., Kennedy E. P. Biosynthesis of cardiolipin in Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1967 Jun 25;242(12):3018–3019. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Suskind S. R., Kurek L. I. ON A MECHANISM OF SUPPRESSOR GENE REGULATION OF TRYPTOPHAN SYNTHETASE ACTIVITY IN NEUROSPORA CRASSA. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1959 Feb;45(2):193–196. doi: 10.1073/pnas.45.2.193. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Tanaka S., Lerner S. A., Lin E. C. Replacement of a phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase by a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-linked dehydrogenase for the utilization of mannitol. J Bacteriol. 1967 Feb;93(2):642–648. doi: 10.1128/jb.93.2.642-648.1967. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. Wang C. C., Newton A. Iron transport in Escherichia coli: relationship between chromium sensitivity and high iron requirement in mutants of Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1969 Jun;98(3):1135–1141. doi: 10.1128/jb.98.3.1135-1141.1969. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Wilson G., Fox C. F. Biogenesis of microbial transport systems: evidnce for coupled incorporation of newly synthesized lipids and proteins into membrane. J Mol Biol. 1971 Jan 14;55(1):49–60. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(71)90280-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Bacteriology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES